Lt Col Meridee Trimble is the Director of International Programs and an Assistant Professor of Japanese at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. In this capacity, she leads a team of 10 military and civilian program and operations managers, operates a $3M budget for eight programs, serves as the Superintendent’s (O-9) liaison to over 60 U.S. Embassy staffs, and oversees an 80-member cadet staff. The eight programs facilitate the annual movement abroad of over 650 cadets, staff, and faculty, including: Cadet Summer Language Immersion Program, Cadet Semester Exchange Abroad Program, Cadet Semester Study Abroad Program, Foreign Academy Visit Program, Cultural Immersion Program, Four-Year International Cadet Program, Military Personnel Exchange Program, and International Week. She teaches 160 contact hours of Japanese to cadets annually and led an 11-cadet cohort on a one-month language immersion to Japan in 2022 and a 3-cadet delegation to the Indonesian Air Force Academy in 2023.

Lt Col Trimble is an INDOPACOM Foreign Area Officer specializing in Indonesia and a Level III Joint Qualified Officer. Previous to USAFA, she was the Chief of Women, Peace, and Security and Deputy Chief of the Southeast Asia Branch at HQ Pacific Air Forces, International Affairs Division in Hawaii, where she also served on the FAO 2030 Tiger Team. She planned international engagements as the Chief of the Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Strategy and Plans Division Chief at Osan AB, South Korea. She was a Southeast Asia Country Portfolio Director at the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Virginia, and facilitated the sale of defense articles and services through the management of foreign military sales, foreign military financing, and international military education and training cases.

Prior to studying Indonesian at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in 2011, she directed the PACOM Theater for Special Operations Forces Course at the USAF Special Operations School, in Florida. She delivered mission-tailored country-specific lectures about Southeast Asian and South Asian countries in preparation for Joint Combined Exchange Training and capacity-building engagements and presented the lectures, Geophysical Introduction to the Asia-Pacific Region and U.S. Foreign Policy and the Air Force Special Operations Command in Asia.

Lt Col Trimble deployed in support of Operation Southern Watch, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom to Saudi Arabia, Diego Garcia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, and Qatar. She completed two Korean language immersions in Seoul, South Korea in 2005 and 2008. She was selected for the Quality of Analysis Program to Malaysia and Singapore in 2010 and to Burma in 2017, and was selected as a CSAF Political Advisor Fellow to the U.S. Embassy in Timor-Leste in 2012. She was selected to the Air Force Culture and Language Center’s Language Enabled Airman Program for Indonesian and attended Indonesian language immersions in Ubud in 2014 and 2019 and Yogyakarta in 2015 and 2023, and a Brazilian Portuguese immersion program at San Diego State University in 2022. She has been a member of the Foreign Area Officer Association since 2010, was accepted into the National Language Service Corps for the Indonesian language in 2019, served on the Editorial Board of the Foreign Area Officer Journal of International Affairs from 2020-2023, and attended JFAOC II in 2022.

ACADEMIC EDUCATION

Doctor of Philosophy, Educational Management (Higher Education), Hampton University, VA (2016)

Associate of Arts, Indonesian, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, CA (2011)

Associate of Arts, Korean, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, CA (2011)

Master of Arts, National Security Affairs (Far East), Naval Postgraduate School, CA (2007)

Master of Arts, International Relations (Conflict Resolution), St. Mary’s University, TX (1999)

Master of Arts, Management & Human Resources Development, Webster University, MO (1998)

Bachelor of Arts, Asian Studies, Thomas Edison State University, NJ (1996)

Associate of Applied Science, Communications Applications Technology, Community College of the Air Force, AL (1996)

PROFESSIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION

Air War College (distance), Maxwell AFB, AL (2018)

Joint and Combined Warfighting School (residence), Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, VA (2016)

Air Command and Staff College (distance), Maxwell AFB, AL (2012)

Squadron Officer School (distance and residence), Maxwell AFB, AL (2010)

Air and Space Basic Course (residence), Maxwell AFB, AL (2004)

ASSIGNMENTS

Apr 1993 – May 1993, Basic Training, Lackland AFB, TX

May 1993 – May 1994, Korean Basic Course, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, CA

May 1994 – Oct 1994, Korean Cryptology Course, Goodfellow AFB, TX

Oct 1994 – Dec 1994, Survival School – SERE, Special, Water, Physiological, Fairchild AFB, WA

Dec 1994 – Dec 1996, Korean Airborne Cryptologic Linguist Specialist, 390th Intelligence Squadron, Kadena AB, Japan

Dec 1996 – Sep 1997, Intelligence Analyst, Asia Branch, Air Force Information Warfare Center, Kelly AFB, TX

Dec 1996 – Mar 1999, Plans and Programs Technician, Air Force Information Warfare Center, Kelly AFB, TX

Mar 1999 – Jul 2002, Reservist, Homestead ARB and USSOUTHCOM, FL

Jul 2002 – Nov 2002, Assistant Coordinator for Traditional Commander in Chief Activities, U.S. Embassy, Argentina

Nov 2002 – Feb 2003, Officer Training School, Maxwell AFB, AL

Feb 2003 – Dec 2003, Student, Intelligence Officer Course, Goodfellow AFB, TX

Dec 2003 – Jun 2006, Intelligence Officer, 6th Operations Support Squadron, MacDill AFB, FL

Jun 2006 – Dec 2007, Student, National Security Affairs – Far East, Naval Postgraduate School, CA

Dec 2007 – Apr 2009, Director, PACOM Theater for Special Operations Forces Course, Hurlburt Field, FL

Apr 2009 – Apr 2010, Officer in Charge, Unit Support, 609th Air and Space Operations Center, Al Udeid AB, Qatar

Apr 2010 – Dec 2010, Director, PACOM Theater for Special Operations Forces Course, Hurlburt Field, FL

Dec 2010 – Oct 2011, Indonesian Basic Course, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, CA

Oct 2011 – Apr 2012, Foreign Area Officer Immersion in Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Philippines, and Thailand

Apr 2012 – Jun 2016, Director, Southeast Asia Portfolio, Defense Security Cooperation Agency, VA

Jun 2016 – Jun 2017, Chief, ISR Strategy and Plans Division, 7th Air Force, Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea

Jun 2017 – Mar 2020, Southeast Asia Country Director, HQ PACAF – International Affairs, Hickam AFB, HI

Mar 2020 – Sep 2020, Deputy Chief, Southeast Asia Branch, HQ PACAF – International Affairs, Hickam AFB, HI

Sep 2020 – Jun 2021, Chief, Women, Peace, and Security, HQ PACAF – International Affairs, Hickam AFB, HI

Jun 2021 – Aug 2022, Chief, Strategic Languages Division and Assistant Professor of Japanese, USAFA, CO

Aug 2022 – present, Director of International Programs and Assistant Professor of Japanese, USAFA, CO

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS

Jul 2012 – Jun 2016, Southeast Asia Country Portfolio Director, Defense Security Cooperation Agency, VA, as a captain and major

Commandant’s Distinguished Writing Award, Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Norfolk, VA (2016)

Distinguished Graduate, Hampton University (2016)

International Language & Culture Foundation Award for Excellence, Defense Language Institute (Indonesian) (2011)

Highest Honors, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (Indonesian) (2011)

Distinguished Graduate, Webster University (1998)

Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities (1996)

Arnold Fletcher Award for Excellence in Independent Study, Thomas Edison State College (1996)

Martin Kellogg Award, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (Korean) (1994)

Commandant’s Award, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (Korean) (1994)

Publications, Presentations, and Edited Works

Trimble, M. J., Utt, N. Y., Simmons, A. J. (2022, October). Achieving the human condition, cultures, and societies institutional outcome and examining cadets' ACTFL proficiency benchmark levels: Experiential education in Japan and Oman [Conference presentation]. Air University Language, Regional Education, and Culture Symposium, Montgomery, AL.

Foreign Area Officer Association. (2022, April). Culture shock: Leadership lessons from the U.S. military’s diplomatic corps. Edited four articles in book.

Trimble, M. J. (2021, May). A message to the graduates [Keynote address]. Winona State University Doctor of Education Program, Winona, MN.

Trimble, M. J. & Parker, D. M. (2020, November). Developing a scholarly voice early: Collaborative writing as a pedagogy. The Journal of Advancing Education Practice: A Winona State University Journal, 1(1), 1-13.

Trimble, M. J. (2020, February & 2021, August). Life as an Indo-Pacific command foreign area officer: Strategies for academic and professional success. Presentation made for new Foreign Area Officers at the SAF/IAPA Foreign Area Officer Orientation, Knoxville, TN.

Trimble, M. J. (2019, July & 2020, June). Doctoral student insights and lessons learned. Presentations made for a Doctoral Residency Program in Education at Winona State University, College of Education, Winona, MN.

Trimble, M. J., Browne, E. D., McClure, D. S., Forrester, K. D. (2017, Spring). Maintaining the warrior ethos: Tenets to guide the integration of women into joint combat positions. Campaigning: The Journal of the Joint Forces Staff College, 1-13.

Trimble, M. J. (2016, May). Non-traditional study abroad: African American collegiate women navigating service learning in Indonesia (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest. (10092253).

Trimble, M. J. (2014, July & 2015, February). Introduction to Indonesia. Presentations made as a guest lecturer at U.S. Air Force Special Operations School, Hurlburt Field, FL.

Holmes, B. D., Trimble, M. J., & Morrison-Danner, D. (2014, October). Advancing scholarship, team building, and collaboration in a hybrid doctoral program in educational leadership. Journal of College Teaching and Learning, 11(4), 175-180.

Trimble, M. J. (2014, May). Maximizing the doctoral internship experience: Teaching English as a service learning activity at a vocational college in Bali, Indonesia. Presentation made for new doctoral students of educational management at Hampton University, Hampton, VA.

Trimble, M. J. (2008, February). U.S. policy options toward stopping North Korea’s illicit activities. Strategic Insights, 7(1). Monterey, CA: Center for Contemporary Conflict, Naval Postgraduate School. Note: Published as “Best Recent Thesis.”